In this Sept. 1, 2017 file photo, Loyola Marymount University student and dreamer Maria Carolina Gomez joins a rally in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, outside the Edward Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles. from deportation.

As the son of immigrants, I know what kind of sacrifices my parents made to give me and my two sisters a better life. My mom and dad came to Los Angeles as young adults — her from Nicaragua and him from Mexico — fell in love in English class, married and scrimped and saved to raise us and put us all through college. Although we survived without fancy vacations or dinners out, I had one advantage that many children of immigrants do not: I was born in Koreatown in Los Angeles. As a U.S. citizen, I was able to earn my bachelor’s degree in business marketing and my master’s degree in public administration from Cal State Northridge. Today, I work for the county as a human resources manager.

Yet for hundreds of thousands of undocumented young adults in California who share a similar history of growing up with immigrant parents, they started their lives in foreign countries before coming to the United States as children. They speak American English, attended American schools and have American dreams. They’re also in the middle of establishing careers and families so they can give back to the country they call home.

As a sanctuary state, California leads the country in progressive policies towards undocumented immigrants and recently protected their right to apply for state financial aid for college. Yet nearly 425,000 recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in the state will be devastated if Congress does not save their right to work and live without fear of deportation.

Still, keeping DACA isn’t enough to help these so-called Dreamers reach their fullest potential. That’s because they’re not eligible to receive federal financial aid for college — meaning many are forced to work full-time jobs or live in poverty while trying to make ends meet to pay for their education. I’ve seen how hard it is for even American citizens to pay for college today. That’s why in 2010, I created the Latino Educational Fund, a non-profit that provides scholarships for college students and provides them career development, financial literacy and zero-interest, low-cost microloans. We’ve helped both American and undocumented students with small stipends to pay for books and living expenses.

I believe we should use the current attention on DACA to call for comprehensive immigration reform to support the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants who are estimated to be living in the United States. The California economy depends on the contributions of these nearly 2.3 million workers who earned nearly $46 billion in household income and paid nearly $2 billion in state and local taxes. More than 170,000 undocumented immigrants started their own businesses and created jobs for Americans in the state, according New American Economy, a bipartisan non-profit that studies the impact of immigration on the economy.

It’s time to do right by all undocumented immigrants and give them a pathway to citizenship. They’re valuable members of our community who deserve the right to vote for the leaders who shape their cities and neighborhoods, take out bank loans and receive health and retirement benefits from a system to which they’ve contributed.

I’ll never forget working the polls with my Dad who explained the propositions and ballot measures to me. He told me this was the way to become involved in my community. All immigrants should have the same opportunities to work hard and participate in civic life. In Los Angeles, I grew up around people from many different ethnicities, nationalities and immigration statuses. But we’re not very different from each other. I was simply lucky to be born on this soil. We all want to chance to make a better life.

Heberto Sanchez is the founder and president of the Latino Educational Fund.